Adjustable welt for stockings



2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Sept. 11, 1948 m fm T .u W N E n T 1 l w. i 4 e .00W a 5 jam.. M79 95 Filed Sept. 1l, 1948 S. l. BUND ADJUSTABLE WELT FOR STOCKINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 amue/ f. yra/ /4 tar wey vtljatenrted Jan.. 17, 1950 ADJUSTABLE WELT FOR STOCKINGS Samuel I. Burd, New York, N. Y., assignor to Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of the United States Application September 11,- 1948, Serial No. 48,783

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-239) 1 My invention relates to an adjustable welt whereby the length, and, to a certain extent, the width of the stocking may be varied to accommodate legs of different lengths and thicknesses. One object of the invention is to produce an improved adjustable welt.

A further object is to produce an adjustable welt of reinforced construction.

A still further object is to produce an improved welt which will present an attractive appearance.

These and other objects are attained by my invention as set forth in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a side elevational View of a stocking embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View through the upper part of the stocking;

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2, but showing a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlargement showing details of construction.

Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 2, but; showing a third embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 1, but showing a fourth embodiment of the invention.

In Fig. 1, I show a ladys stocking which includes a leg IIJ, a foot I2, and a welt which is generally designated by the letter W.

Ordinarily, the conventional stocking is provided with a top welt I4, which is usually either of reinforced fabric, or of double thickness, or both, and a lower shadow welt I6, which is connected to the top of the leg by one or more courses I8 formed of locked, or run resisting stitches, such as picot stitches, whereby if a thread in the welt should break, the fabric cannot run orv ladder below the picot courses I8. The leg of a stocking thus constructed may be too long or too short for the leg of the wearer, although the foot of such stocking may be the correct size for the foot of the wearer. If the stocking is pulled up taut, the width of the stocking will be decreased and vice versa.

According to my invention, I provide the stocking with a plurality of welts, one above the other, said welts being so constructed and arranged that, if extended downwardly they will assume a nested or telescopic relationship to each other. Also, according to my invention, all of the welts are of double thickness and are connected to the stocking fabric by means of picot, locked stitch, or other run resisting courses to prevent development of runs when any of the welts is removed or when a thread breaks in any of the welts. Also,

in my construction, any of the welts may be removed by the purchaser without damaging the stocking and without altering its length.

For example, and viewing the stocking as it would appear on the leg of the wearer, a Spacer skirt 22 is disposed within and extends above the usual lowermost welt I4, this skirt being separated from the lower edge of the inner wall of the welt I4 by means of run preventing courses such as the locked stitch or picot courses 20. Above the skirt 22, there is a second double thickness welt 26 which is separated from the skirt 22 by r-un preventing courses 24 which may be the same as courses 20. Above the welt 26, there is a second spacer skirt 30 which is disposed within and extends above the welt 26 and which is separated from the welt 2t by run preventing courses 28.

At this point, I may provide as many additional welts and spacing skirts as may be desired, or I may provide only a third or uppermost welt 34 which is separated from the skirt 30 by run resisting courses 32. Obviously, the second or intermediate welt 26 may be omitted in which case only the welts I4 and 34 would be present. In the center of all welts, I provide a course of picot stitches or other open work which facilitates folding of the welt fabric to provide inner and outer walls as well as a neat looking and run resisting finished edge 36.

It will, of course, be understood that knitting of the stocking described is begun at the top edge oi the welt, which in this instance is the lower edge of the inner wall of the uppermost welt 34, the junction of the lower edges of the inner and outer walls of each of the welts being eiected by the transfer mechanism of the knitting machine.

Assuming that the stocking is provided with three welts as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and assuming that the stocking is of the proper length, it is optional with the purchaser to remove or retain the extra welts 26 and I4. In practice, however, it is preferable to retain these welts as they present an attractive appearance and are not in the way. If the stocking is too long, the wearer cuts the Welt at or just above the picot courses 28, and thus removes the skirt 30 and the welt 34. The welt 26 now serves as the top of the stocking and is engaged by the garter clasp. If the stocking is still too long, the wearer can again cut at or through the picot courses 20 so as to remove skirt 22 and welt 26, thus leaving the welt I4 only.

In the drawings, which are not to scale, I have shown a total of three welts, but it will be understood that one or more welts may be provided.

Optionally, I may provide ravel courses 38 at the bottom of skirts 30 and 22. When such ravel courses are provided, the purchaser cuts through these courses which, when removed, leave the stocking with a clean nished edge. If desired, a spacer 40 may be formed between contiguous picot courses 24 and 38 and between corresponding course in the event that additional Welts, like welt 26, are interposed between the welts I4 and 34.

If desired, the Welts i4 and i6 can be formed on the inside of the stocking fabric, as shown in Fig. 5, instead of on the outside as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When so arranged, the eXtra welts will be between the le?,T and the stocking, instead of on the outside of the stocking, but their structure and the manner in which they are removed are the same as those described in connection with Fig. 2.

In Fig. 6, I show an embodiment in which the stocking is provided with a long welt and in which the welt is provided with spaced rows or groups of rows of picot-stitches 42, which divide the welt into a plurality of sections 48 and 50, in addition to the usual welt 52 of the stocking. By pulling on upper or lower thread 46, welt 50 or 48 may be removed to shorten the stocking accordingly.

What I claim is:

A stocking including a leg, an upper welt at the end of said leg, a double-walled welt below said upper welt, a spacer portion extending downwardly from the lower end of said upper welt, and a run-resisting portion connecting the lower end of said spacer portion to the one end of said double-walled welt, the other end of said doublewalled welt being unconnected to the stocking.

SAMUEL I. BURD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

